Home for the Holidays
by Lizardbeth J
Summary: Kara and Sam visit Sam's family for Christmas.  - Earth AU, featuring other Cylons in the family.


**NOTES: **This story is an Earth AU, in which Kara and Sam are both fighter pilots at Nellis AFB in Nevada. Sam is squadron leader of F22s and Kara is a flight instructor at the Air Force equivalent of Top Gun. They are together, but not married. I have several other ficlets in this 'verse, but they aren't housed here at because they're mostly M rated. This one however is more holiday and family-related fun times.

So to my readers, especially my fellow Kara/Sam shippers - and Cylon fans, too - enjoy! happy holidays!

* * *

><p>Sam's cell phone played the irritating tweeting of an incoming call. Kara was tempted to answer for him, since it was right beside her on the end table, but she picked it up and threw it at him. He caught it, glanced at the number, and then answered smiling, "Hello."<p>

He settled back into the chair, dangling one foot over the arm, and she listened to his half of the conversation, hearing a feminine voice but no clear words on the other end. "… we're fine… yes, still here, I'd tell you if I was being deployed… Yes, I know, but that's not up to me, Nat."

She nodded to herself, realizing it was his sister, Natalie. She was the sister in Los Angeles with the modeling and acting career.

"… really, mom and dad, too? Well, it sounds like fun and certainly I haven't gone to a big holiday family hoedown in ages, but I don't know." He glanced at Kara while he listened to his sister and added, less patiently, "Natalie, I don't know. I have to ask Kara, and more importantly, I don't want to make promises I have to break if I'm called on duty… yes, of course, but that doesn't mean we might not have to stay around here, just in case. I'll let you know." He paused listening, and tapped his fingers against his knee, face starting to crease in annoyance. "Yes, I promise... I know we didn't come, but we'll try to be there for Christmas, okay? … I swear. Okay, love you, too. Bye."

He hung up, shaking his head with an affectionate sigh. He explained to Kara, "Natalie is inviting us for Christmas. She has that new enormous house with lots of room, so we can stay there. Sonja's coming with Lee, and my parents, too. Even Deanna's flying in. You could get your chance to meet her finally."

She tried to muster enthusiasm, since she could see he wanted to go. It wasn't that she didn't like his family, she did, or at least she liked his parents and the twins fine, but the thought of all of them in one place and Christmas was making her feel sick to her stomach. "I… sure, of course," she answered, trying to push it away. "Assuming we don't have duty."

He shrugged. "I only said that to give us an out. The general already told me my squad's on stand-down those two weeks. And we know there's no training for you, either. So barring some call-up, we're as free-and-clear as it gets, I think."

She tried not to show her disappointment that there was little chance of staying around. That meant she had no good excuse. "Oh, right. Sure, I guess, we should go, especially since we didn't see any of them for Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, Nat brought that up, trying to guilt me for not coming to Thanksgiving." His lips twisted ruefully. "She really wants to show off her new place, I think." But his eyes read her a little more deeply than she wanted. "But we don't have to go if you don't want to. I know Christmas isn't your favorite time of year, and my family's often annoying. Hell, they often annoy _me, _and I'm related to them."

"You love them."

"Well, sure," he admitted with an easy shrug, and she wished a loving family was something she could take for granted, too. "But I did spend the first eighteen years of my life with them already. They can live without me. I'd rather make sure you and I have a good holiday together."

That made her feel worse, to know he was willing to stay away for her. She stood up from the couch to go to him in his chair. "No, it's okay. I don't want to be known as the bitch trying to steal you away from your family. They'll hate me. Just make sure you warn them that I don't know how to deal with happy families and I might be moody and irritable…"

He tugged her down to sit on his lap and swept her hair out of the way to kiss her neck. "So, like usual, then?" he teased.

"And here I was going to do something nice for you on your lap until you decided you were going to try to be funny," she retorted, but didn't move away.

"Oh, yeah? Guess I'll have to make it up to you somehow."

"You can try," she invited, as his hands slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, and then she laughed as his fingers tickled her sides.

"See? I'm funny - you're laughing," he said and tickled her again. She pushed at him, trying to grab his arms, but he was fast, feinting at her until finally, she smacked him repeatedly on the chest and he held up both hands laughing, "Okay, okay, truce!"

Her touch gentled on his chest, and she leaned into him, smirking, "Mmmm, I see someone got very interested in my squirming around…" She tucked her feet around his knees and rubbed her hips against him, teasing.

"Always," he murmured and as they kissed, she forgot all about Christmas plans and family get-togethers. As long as she had this, nothing else mattered.

* * *

><p>They drove up the narrow canyon road and even Sam seemed not exactly sure where to go. Then he passed it, stomping the brake and muttering under his breath about impossible to find houses and why she couldn't live normally. She held her breath as he put the Jeep into reverse, hoping no one rear-ended them. But then they turned onto the driveway through the trees and flowering shrubbery, to a wide flat driveway. The house was low but seemed spread out, encircling the driveway.<p>

It was fully decorated - she saw lights on the roofline, though not lit in the day time, and the two palm trees on either side of the front door were also strung with lights. Even the door had two matching wreaths, and there were snowflakes on all the windows.

It made her stomach a little tight, seeing all the decorations, as it reminded her of childhood holidays which had been nothing like joyful.

Sam pulled next to a blue Kia sedan that looked like a rental and a small BMW. Sam grabbed their duffel out of the back. "C'mon, let's see who's here."

Kara carried her smaller backpack and the large bag with the gifts in it, and followed him up to the door. It opened before they go there, and a tall blonde woman appeared, smiling broadly. "I knew I heard a car! So glad you could come, Sam!"

"Hey, Nat." They hugged and he kissed her cheek.

Then Natalie turned to greet Kara with a wide smile. Kara pushed down her jealousy - why did Sam's sisters have to be so damn gorgeous? It wasn't fair - and smiled back. "Welcome, Kara. I'm glad to see you again. Please, come in, you two. I'll show you around the new place. Need drinks, or the restroom? I know it was a drive from Vegas."

It was a beautiful home, open and airy, with panoramic windows in the main areas for a view of the canyon and the pool in the back courtyard. There was a huge decorated tree to one side, with presents piled beneath it, and every where she looked there were garlands and other holiday décor, as if it was a department store. She ignored the decorations as much as she could.

"There he is!" another woman's voice greeted cheerfully, and Kara turned to see Sam's mom bearing down on them down one of the hallways that led to the wings of the house.

She was younger-looking than any woman her age had any right to be, and had a beautiful smile like her daughter's. She had a drink in her hand, as she embraced her taller son.

"Mom!" He hugged her back and stole the glass out of her hand to taste it. "What is that, peach? Really?"

"It's delicious," she told him and snatched it back. "I'm so happy you came. And you, too, Kara."

Kara held out her hand, "Ellen. Good to see you again." Ellen looked at the hand as if she didn't know what to do with it, and then laughed.

"You're family," she said, and hugged Kara, too. Kara stood stiffly and tentatively hugged her back with one arm. Ellen didn't seem to notice, but pulled back and held up her drink. "Saul is making drinks in the kitchen if you two want anything."

"As long as it's not peach," Sam said and wrinkled his nose. "That stuff is gross."

Kara chuckled once, noticing how he'd already cleaned up his language around his mother. Then she wondered if his family's presence was going to make him feel inhibited about other things as well, and resolved to get him to drink enough that he wouldn't actually care if his parents heard them.

The kitchen was approximately the size of an airplane hangar with an island, currently spread with bottles, a blender, and bowl of ice. There was an older man with cropped white hair at the counter, blending fruit, and Ellen called out at a pause in the blender, "Saul, look who's here!"

He glanced up and eyed Sam. "Son. Made light colonel yet?"

Kara was taken aback by the abrupt question, and lack of any kind of greeting, but Sam seemed to expect it and answered, "No, sir. I'd tell you."

"Never gonna get a promotion unless you get out of that cushy Nellis post," he said, and started pouring out the blended drinks into glasses. Sam didn't argue, to Kara's surprise and she wondered if he'd already thought the same.

"Mangoritas," Saul informed them. "Captain Thrace, good to see you again, keeping my wild boy out of trouble. Want one?"

"Please," she answered and took the one he offered. But she wanted to smile at the designation of Sam as a 'wild boy' when she knew the only thing he was wild about was planes. And motorcycles and driving fast. And, okay, maybe he was still a little bit wild, but somehow he still came off in control.

Ellen cozied up to Saul, putting her free hand around his waist and drinking with the other. "Hon, let's not encourage Sam to get himself assigned to some warzone. I like having him around."

"Me, too," Kara agreed and tucked a hand in Sam's belt, to tug him into her, nearly sloshing their drinks on Natalie's pretty tiled floor.

"Then you better get married, or they won't give a damn about what you want," Saul informed her bluntly. "Not like they care all that much, anyway, as Ellen could tell you, but they sure as hell won't anything less."

"We have our reasons," Sam responded shortly.

Which were **her** reasons - she'd told him a long time ago that she didn't want to get married. He'd agreed with her, especially after he'd learned about how horribly her parents' marriage had collapsed, but watching his parents still seem very much in love, she wondered if he wanted that for himself, too.

The doorbell rang breaking the tension. "That should be Sonja." Ellen exclaimed. "She and Lee were supposed to arrive already but got caught in traffic. Or at least so they claimed- I bet they went to In N Out."

Sam laughed. "I won't take that bet. Strawberry shake and fries are her two favorite things, and they've been in London a long time." Ellen and Sam hurried to the front door, and Kara followed, swept up in their excitement.

Natalie was already opening the door, and swept her twin into a hug.

They weren't perfectly identical, since Sonja lightened her hair a much lighter shade than Natalie's, but they were both still intimidatingly beautiful, especially when they were together. So Kara looked to the man bringing in the luggage. Lee wasn't as tall as Sam, but when she'd met him she'd been struck by how similar they were in some ways with their brown hair and blue eyes. But Lee was a lawyer, or whatever they called them in England, and he wore a suit like he was going to court.

"Kara, isn't it?" he asked and held out the hand not holding the In-N-Out cup.

She shook his hand and thought he was a little too good looking to be real. He and Sonja were going to have beautiful kids, that was for sure. "Welcome to the zoo."

Dinner was pizza and salad and mostly eaten in the kitchen. Kara expected something more formal, since Christmas Eve at her house had been anything but eating on paper plates on kitchen stools, but there was a lot of free-flowing liquor and conversation.

This was followed by singing by the tree, where the sisters pestered Sam for not bringing his guitar, and Ellen finally put a stop to it by telling Sonja to play the piano. Kara opened her mouth to volunteer on the piano and then wondered what the hell she was doing; not even Sam knew she could play.

About halfway through Saul's deep-voiced but resonant rendition of 'Little Drummer Boy', Kara thought she might explode and hurried outside to the cold air.

The sliding glass door opened behind her and she was surprised to see Natalie. "You're not Sam," Kara said. "Thought he'd come out to me."

"He was going to, but I told him to stay." Natalie joined Kara at the railing to look at the lights of the valley in the distance. "He said you had some bad memories of Christmas, and our family zoo might be overwhelming to you. We're just very excited to be all together. My sister's wedding was the last time we were all together."

"It's … very happy," Kara said, and then had to chuckle at her own tone, as if it was a terrible thing for them to be happy. "Holidays were just not… great when I was growing up." She turned, seeking to change the subject. "Your home is beautiful, and I love the pool."

"Thanks. But I have to admit, it was just a house, until my family came," she said with a smile. "Now it feels like a home. When we were growing up, because of Dad being in the military we moved around a lot, so we didn't make a lot of friends. But we had each other."

"Sounds nice," Kara said wistfully.

Natalie laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's yours now too, Kara. You're welcome to join us or not, whatever's the most comfortable for you, okay?"

Kara couldn't look at her. "Thanks."

With a gentle squeeze, Natalie returned inside. Sam emerged a few minutes later. "Hey. You okay?"

"I'm good."

"Dad's making mulled wine if you want some. Or eggnog."

"In a few minutes. It was hot in there."

"Yeah." He rubbed her back, but not a too-consoling fashion that would make her shrug it off. It felt good, and familiar, just the two of them.

"I see a hot tub over there," she said, pointing to the far side of the pool. "I think," she nudged her hip against him and murmured suggestively, "you and I should take advantage of it tonight. Unless you don't want to have fun with all your family around…"

"Mm." He put an arm around her shoulders and very sneakily dropped a hand slowly down her breast. "It wouldn't be the first time. But I didn't bring any trunks."

"What a shame; I guess you'll just have to do without," she teased, leaning into his grip.

"I guess I can manage, somehow."

The door opened behind them again and Lee said, "Sam, can I speak to you a moment?"

Kara took that as her cue, twisting away, "I'll head back in," she said and went past Lee, noting he seemed a little bothered by something. As she started to close the door, she heard Lee's voice in low outrage, "I have to tell you, I think your mother was trying to feel me up."

She bit her lip on a chuckle, since she'd heard a few stories of outrageous behavior about Ellen. But when she was inside, she saw Ellen and Saul up against the kitchen counter, making out like teenagers.

Sonja looked at them, and then suggested to Kara, loudly, "I think we'll get refills later."

Ellen lifted a hand away from her husband and waved at them to go away.

Deanna showed up after that, and Kara finally had a chance to meet Sam's older sister. She was exactly like Kara imagined somehow - tall, beautiful, with the same blue eyes as Sam. She was a news anchor somewhere back east, after being a reporter for many years, and she swept into the house like she was embedded in a war zone. Or a bossy big sister.

"About time I get to meet Kara," she said to her brother, while shaking Kara's hand. "Welcome. I'm so glad he moved on from the bitch he brought last time."

"Deanna!" Sam objected.

Deanna rolled her eyes. "She totally was, Sammy. Nobody could stand her. At least I hear only good things about Kara."

"Thanks. I think," Kara said dryly.

"You're welcome," Deanna responded, apparently genuinely and then moved on to give her father a hug. "I didn't miss singing, did I?"

"Of course not, sweetheart," Ellen reassured her. "We want you to sing."

Eventually they gathered in the living area to sing some more. Kara had a glass of brandy in one hand, and the top of Sam's head under her other hand as he sat on the floor against her legs. Ellen was stretched out on the couch with her head on Saul's lap. Sonja sat at the piano, Lee beside her, while Deanna sang. Natalie turned off the overhead lights so only the tree lights and the fireplace glowed, as Deanna sang 'Silent Night'.

Kara closed her eyes, head swimming with the alcohol pleasantly, and listened to the song.

* * *

><p>It was late and quiet, as they crept out the sliding glass doors wearing only towels. Sam scouted, to make sure it was unoccupied, but luckily he waved her forward. She dropped the towel and shivered in the cold air, hurrying into the hot tub. Then there was a momentarily discomfort of being too hot in her legs and freezing with her naked breasts, before she stepped off the step into the deeper middle.<p>

Sam followed her in, ducking his head underneath and coming up, wiping both hands across his face. "That's better." Then he saw her and a grin spread across his face, "Oh, that's the best Christmas present I've seen for a year."

"Oh yeah, Major? You want to unwrap it?"

"I don't' know, is that allowed?" he teased. "Opening Christmas presents early? I think Santa might put me on the naughty list." His hands skimmed her hips and waist.

"Too late for that." His lips tasted like salt from the hot tub's water, as she kissed him. Her fingers rubbed the short hair at the back of his neck and head, as he pulled her hips close and she wrapped her legs around him.

The sliding glass door opened somewhere behind him, and barely lifting his mouth from hers, Sam called out, "Sonja, go away."

Kara raised her eyes to see that in fact it was Sonja and Lee, both looking embarrassed. "Sorry," Sonja blurted and shoved her husband back, and pulled the door shut.

Sam chuckled. "Knew it," he murmured. "We should be by ourselves, now. I think mom and dad are sleeping it off."

"Did she really grope Lee?" Kara asked, freeing her hands to caress his skin of his shoulders and chest in the water, enjoying how he carried her easily in the water.

He snorted. "She, uh, gets a little free spirited, especially when she's been drinking. But she loves Dad more than anything in the world."

"They remind me of us," Kara murmured.

He hesitated a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but then let it go, and kissed her instead. "C'mon, let's be so naughty Santa's going to skip this house," he suggested.

She laughed and reached for him. "Let's be so naughty he throws coal at us."

He grinned. "Challenge accepted."

* * *

><p>Ellen was in charge of dinner, and had Natalie and Deanna helping her. Everyone else wandered in and out "helping", which amounted to helping themselves to food and drink.<p>

Present opening was long over, and Kara was returning from the kitchen with lemonade for herself and Sam when she saw Saul was handing him a small box. "These are for you."

Sam opened the box and looked inside. His lips parted, shocked, then his gaze snapped up. "Dad? These are yours."

"I want you to have them. Something to work for," Saul said gruffly. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Proud of you, son."

Then he walked away, passing Kara on his way back to the kitchen. Kara went to Sam and asked, "What did he give you?"

"Eagles." He turned to show a pair of colonel insignia buffed to a shine. Then he closed the box again gently, looking overcome by the gesture. "I'm going to put them someplace safe. I'll - I'll be back." He hurried from the room and Kara knew better than to follow him.

But it made her think, remembering what Saul had said yesterday. She didn't worry about her career so much; she wanted to fly and teach flying, and she could take retirement and still do those things. Sam, on the other hand, was far more career oriented than she was; he loved flying, but he also loved the military and commanding a squadron. He needed to command; in fact, and he needed promotion to continue.

He was going to have to leave Nellis, sooner rather than later, and she didn't know how she was going to face that day.

The doorbell stirred her from her thoughts, and she frowned. Everyone was here, she had thought. Curious, she went to the door and opened it.

There were three people on the stoop - an old man with a sour look to his face, another man with cropped hair and a very unfortunate green shirt, and a pretty woman with black hair and dark olive skin. They all stared at each other before the old man demanded, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" she snapped back, already irritated.

The other man smiled faintly. "I know you. I've seen you before." There was a hazy tone to his voice that suggested he'd already done weed or something before showing up here.

Then behind her, she heard Ellen's voice in astonishment ,"Dad? Leo, what did you do? You didn't say you were bringing Dad!"

Kara, realizing these were also family of sorts, moved out of the way, to let the new people in.

"Hey, everyone," Leo greeted, coming in. His gaze settled on her, with wide-eyed intensity that lasted until Sam was suddenly at her side and greeted him coolly.

"Leo, good to see you again. Kara, this is my cousin Leo. That's my grandfather John. And … I don't know you, sorry."

The small but lovely woman smiled at him and held out her hand. "Tory Foster. I apologize for dropping in, but Leo said it was all right."

"No, that's okay, welcome. I'm Sam, this is Kara, and Natalie, my sister who owns the place…"

* * *

><p>Kara sat at the large dining table next to Sam, as Natalie brought out the last dish for the sideboard. "Everyone, please be seated," she requested. "Dad?"<p>

Saul cleared his throat. "Today is a very special Christmas for us; it's rare we're all together, especially now that you all are grown and doing well."

Ellen folded her hand around him and smiled around the table, saying, "What he means to say is that we love you all very much. And we thank God for our children each and every day, that you are smart and beautiful and successful and healthy. And I believe Sonja has something she wanted to say? Go ahead, sweetheart."

She smiled and glanced at Lee, who nodded encouragement, "We wanted to tell you all tonight that we're going to have a baby."

Ellen and Deanna let out shrieks of joy; Kara could tell that Natalie already knew, since she wasn't surprised at all. Sam beat his sister and mother to Sonja's side, wrapping her up in a tight, excited hug. "Congratulations, so excited for you." Then he slapped Lee on the shoulder. "Dude, you realize I fly a stealth fighter plane, right? You are brave or suicidal to knock up my baby sister."

Everyone laughed, and Lee just shook his head, not bothered by the threatening joke.

Kara snickered. "I'll keep him from doing anything rash, I promise. Congrats."

It took a little while for everyone to get settled enough to get dinner and sit down after that announcement, but eventually they were eating and toasting again. Kara talked to Deanna on her other side, hearing about Deanna's visit to Iraq and Kara sharing stories about Sam on base, aware of his father on the other side, pretending not to listen.

Sam's hand fell on her thigh and gently rubbed. She glanced down at his hand and smiled at him. "What's that for?"

He shrugged, smiling back. "What, I need a reason?"

So she leaned over and kissed him. Because no, she didn't need a reason, she just wanted to do it, and that was reason enough.

The sun was still up after dinner, and she and Sam went outside to the railing of the deck to enjoy the fresh air and a little time alone.

"Look," he said, "I brought our mistletoe." And he held up a sprig of parsley.

She burst into laughter, that trailed off as he held it up and bent his head to kiss her again. She slid her arms around him, and laid her head down. "I'm glad I came."

He kissed her hair and held her tight. "Me, too."

"You didn't get me jewelry," she murmured.

"Did you want jewelry?" he asked, surprised. "You hardly wear any."

She smiled and lifted her head. "I know, and I said I didn't want any. But I've changed my mind. I want a ring."

His eyes widened and he stared at her, as if she'd suddenly started talking in Chinese. "What?"

"I want to get married," she said. "To you. Will you-" her voice suddenly faltered, and she had to take a breath to finish, "Will you marry me?"

He was still staring at her and then shook his head once, a bright grin appearing instead of his stunned expression. And his happiness at the question was answer enough, but his hand cupped her cheek and he answered, "Oh, yes. I would love to marry you, Kara Thrace."

Somehow their kiss was different, more serious, as if sealing a solemn promise.

"Merry Christmas," she murmured and tucked her hands in his back pockets, resting her head on his shoulder.

His breath stirred her hair softly, and when she closed her eyes to listen, she could hear his heart beating. And for the first time, the notion that she could hear it every day for the rest of her life filled her with contentment, not the fear that it was going to go terribly wrong.

His hands smoothed her hair and caressed down her back. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

><p>end.<p> 


End file.
